Jesse stepped forward. “You should have gotten me. You need to stay away from him until the investigation’s over.”
She rubbed her temple, the beginnings of a headache coming on. “I know. I’m sorry.”
Becket scrubbed a hand over his face. “She made a mistake. Come on, Jesse, let’s go back inside.”
“Promise me, Clara,” Jesse warned.
She sighed. “I promise.”
Jesse’s face gentled, and he leaned down and kissed her cheek while Becket squeezed her arm, then they both returned to the café.
Holden stepped closer. “Why did he come here, Clara?”
“He texted and asked to talk. I told him no, and it was just dumb luck that he was driving past.”
His eyes narrowed. “What did he want to talk about?”
“He wanted to know if Jesse had spoken to me about him. He’s worried Scarlett’s death is being pinned on him.”
“Did you tell him anything?”
“No. I don’t know anything except that she died from respiratory depression. And he didn’t tell me anything.”
He gently folded her into his arms. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with this.”
“It’s not your fault. I just want to know what happened to Scarlett.”
“We’ll find out. I promise.”
She nodded, but one question burned in her mind…when?
She rubbed her temple a second time.
“Are you okay?” Holden asked, concern in his eyes.
“Yeah, just a headache. I think I need to drink more water.”
He studied her for a moment before he nodded. “Let’s get you some water then.”
Then he slipped an arm around her waist and led her inside. She shot one more glance behind her to the road, but Malcolm was long gone. And she couldn’t help but wonder…if she didn’t think he was the murder, why was all the evidence pointing to him?
CHAPTER 21
The smell of ground coffee beans filled the kitchen as Clara poured hot water into the French press.
For some reason, the exhaustion was hanging around. It was a strange exhaustion. One she’d felt for days. The type that dragged at her limbs and made her feel heavy and her head foggy. And she still had that headache from her birthday even though it had been almost a week. She hadn’t felt like this since—
She shook her head.
No. She wasn’t going to go there. She was fine, just stressed. Jesse still didn’t have Scarlett’s toxicology report back, and that had been playing on her mind.
Once her mug was filled with coffee, she took a sip. She didn’t usually drink coffee, but this morning she needed it.
She took a few deep breaths…only to press a hand to her chest.
It wasn’t just the fatigue these last few days. She’d also been short of breath.
Acupuncture. That’s what she needed. Calming music, a dark room, and some of her fix-everything needles.
